Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity by Mesle, Sarah
Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity by Mesle, Sarah

Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity

A witty, razor-sharp cultural critique of white women's hair--and the politics it quietly carries In Tangled, acclaimed...
$34.74 USD
$34.74 USD
Please hurry! Only 286 left in stock
Author: Sarah Mesle
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Subtotal: $34.74
Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity by Mesle, Sarah

Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity

$34.74
Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity by Mesle, Sarah

Tangled: Seven Iconic Moments in White Women's Hair and What They Tell Us about Power, Pleasure, and Complicity

$34.74
Author: Sarah Mesle
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Description
A witty, razor-sharp cultural critique of white women's hair--and the politics it quietly carries

In Tangled, acclaimed cultural critic Sarah Mesle unpacks the surprising power of white women's hair in shaping American identity, politics, and pop culture. From rom-coms to TikToks, blowouts to legislation, Mesle explores how hair--often dismissed as trivial--has been a stealth vehicle for transmitting whiteness, privilege, and conservative values.

White women's hair evokes pleasure, pride, anxiety, and envy. But unlike women of color, who navigate hair as a deeply political terrain, white women often treat their styles as purely aesthetic. Mesle argues that this perceived innocence is precisely what makes white women's hair so potent--and so dangerous.

Through 7 iconic hair moments spanning the Reagan era to Trump's rise, Tangled blends personal essay with cultural analysis, revealing how hair has mirrored--and fueled--the rollback of feminist progress. With wit, depth, and originality, Mesle invites readers to rethink what hair has done in America--and what it could do differently.

Smart, funny, and fiercely insightful, Tangled is essential reading for anyone interested in feminism, race, media, and the hidden politics of beauty.

Author: Sarah Mesle
Publisher: Beacon Press
Published: 08/25/2026
Pages: 296
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.77h x 5.75w x 1.14d
ISBN: 9780807016343


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 07/01/2026 pg. 71
Publishers Weekly 06/22/2026
Booklist 08/01/2026

About the Author
Sarah Mesle is a professor of writing at the University of Southern California and the author of Reasons and Feelings: Writing for the Humanities Now. The former senior humanities editor at the Los Angeles Review of Books, Mesle is also the founding co-editor of the LARB channel Avidly and the short-books series Avidly Reads. Mesle's writing about gender, media, and culture has appeared in venues ranging from Studies in American Fiction and InStyle to the New York Times Magazine.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review